Diane Downs

Diane Downs is the founder and director of The Louisville Leopard Percussionists, an ensemble of 60+ student musicians ages 7-12 from the Metro Louisville area. The LLP performs a broad repertoire of classical, ragtime, jazz, Latin, and pop tunes. They have performed locally as well as nationally, with professional musicians including Dave Samuels, Victor Mendoza, Joe Morello, Emil Richards, Ruben Alvarez, Jerry Steinhotlz, Ndugu Chancler, Zoro, Brad Dutz and Louie Bellson. The LLP was featured in "The Leopards Take Manhattan: The Little Band That Roared", an HBO Family Channel special documenting the Leopards' performance at the International Association for Jazz Education Convention in New York City where they played before the Chick Corea trio.